The present invention relates to an airbag cover for preventing a deformation in folded-state of an airbag for restraining an occupant in case of a collision of a vehicle, such as an automobile, when the airbag is folded and accommodated within a casing, and the invention also relates to an airbag apparatus having the airbag cover.
Hitherto, it is known that, in the event of an emergency, such as an automobile collision or rolling, an inflator is operated so as to inflate the airbag for restraining an occupant by gas injected from the inflator.
This airbag apparatus includes an airbag that is a simple bag made by stitching a plurality of base clothes together at their edges. In a rest state, the airbag is folded and accommodated within the casing. At the emergency, such as the automobile collision or rolling, upon injecting gas by an operation of the inflator, the gas entirely flows inside the airbag so that the airbag is inflated and developed by its internal pressure.
Such an airbag apparatus may include an airbag cover for covering the airbag to be folded and accommodated within the casing (see Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. H11-321515). The airbag cover (flexible protective cover) of a conventional technique includes a pair of flat structures (material webs) each provided transversely to cover the bulging side of the folded and accommodated airbag, and during operating of the inflator, these flat structures allow the airbag to bulge by breaking tearing lines (tearing locations) provided substantially at the center of the flat structures in the longitudinal direction.
In the conventional technique mentioned above, the basic configuration of the airbag cover used when the airbag is folded and accommodated within the casing is disclosed. In such a configuration, in order to optimize the development of the airbag, it is required to optimize the position of the tearing lines in the airbag cover.
An object of the present invention is to provide an airbag cover and an airbag apparatus capable of improving development properties of the airbag.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the invention.